Heart Health News

Kids Given Big Plates Help Themselves to More Food

MONDAY, April 8 (HealthDay News) -- Small kids who are given
large plates and then allowed to serve themselves take more food
and consume more calories, new research finds.

The study used 41 first-graders in a Philadelphia elementary
school to test whether adult research on dishware size and food
intake also holds true for children.

"We found that children served themselves about 90 more calories when they used the large plate at lunch [compared to a small plate]," said Katherine DiSantis, assistant professor of community and global public health at Arcadia University in Glenside, Penn.

It turns out, however, that the kids had a case of
eyes-bigger-than-stomach. "They ate approximately half of every
additional calorie they served themselves," DiSantis said.

The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was
published online April 8 in the journal
Pediatricsand will be in the May print issue of the
journal.

Obesity in children is a growing problem in the United States.
About 17 percent of children aged 2 to 19 are obese, according to
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In adults, the size of the dinner plate is known to affect how
much they put on it and how much they eat, DiSantis said. Other
research has found that children eat more food when they are served
larger portions. But it was not known, DiSantis said, whether the
use of larger, adult-sized plates would make kids take and eat more
food if they served themselves.

The researchers invited the 41 first graders from two different
classrooms at a private elementary school to eat lunch, using a
small child's plate first and then an adult-sized one. The children
had their choice of an entree and side dishes (pasta with meat
sauce, chicken nuggets, mixed vegetables and applesauce). They all
got fixed portions of milk and bread with each meal.

The researchers weighed the portions before and after the
children ate and calculated their caloric intake.

The two factors -- plate size and being allowed to take their
own food -- seemed to work together, DiSantis said. "Overall, the
adult-sized dishware by itself did not promote eating more," she
said.

The child's body-mass index (a measure of body fat based on
height and weight) didn't seem to predict who would take more food,
the researchers found.

It was the child's liking for the food that predicted what they
would serve themselves. Those who liked the entree helped
themselves to about 104 calories more at the meal.

The study results showed, DiSantis said, "that children look to
their environment for some direction when put in the position of
making decisions about how much food to serve themselves."

In the study, the differences in calories were not large, she
acknowledged. "But if this went on on a daily basis, it could
contribute to the child's overall energy intake and their weight
status," she said.

Using smaller plates might give children guidance on portion
sizes, she said.

A nutrition expert who reviewed the study downplayed the role of
plate size, while not dismissing it entirely.

"In the end, it's the portion that's served rather than the plate size -- and whether or not the child likes the food -- that influences how much they eat and how much they serve themselves," said Marjorie Freeman, associate professor of nutrition, food science and packaging at San Jose State University in California. In her own research, she has found that as portion size increases, so does the amount you eat.

Freeman suggested that parents follow the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's recommendations, which suggest filling half the plate
with fruits and vegetables.

Parents also can choose plate sizes for serving their children
based on what will be on the plate. "For foods you want them to eat
a lot of, such as fruits and vegetables, I'd put it on larger
plates," she said.

The fried chicken nuggets, she added, could be served on a small
plate.

The study authors noted that the kids in the experiment served
themselves more fruit on their large plates, but not more
vegetables.

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.